Sunday Fulham Stuff - 18/01/26...

[WhiteJC]

 
Results

Saturday 17/01
Man Utd	2-0	Man City
Chelsea	2-0	Brentford
Leeds	1-0	Fulham
Liverpool	1-1	Burnley
Sunderland	2-1	Palace
Spurs	1-2	West Ham
Forest	0-0	Arsenal

CAF Africa Cup of Nations (3rd place final)

Saturday 17/01
Egypt	0-0	Nigeria

Nigeria win 4-2 on pens

[WhiteJC]

Leeds United 1-0 Fulham

At a glance

    Leeds' Brenden Aaronson goes closest to breakthrough in first half

    Sasa Lukic has Fulham's only shot on target in the match

    Substitute Lukas Nmecha comes on to hit the winner in 91st minute

Lukas Nmecha came off the bench to score a 91st-minute winner as a dominant Leeds ended Fulham's six-game unbeaten run in the Premier League.

The Cottagers were far from convincing in a game of few chances and paid the price when Nmecha turned home a cross from captain Ethan Ampadu for the game's only goal.

It was a deserved victory for Leeds, who probed for an opening throughout the second half and remain eight points clear of the relegation zone, with 18th-placed West Ham earning a shock win at Tottenham.

It was a cagey first half at Elland Road with a yellow card to Fulham boss Marco Silva for dissent evoking the loudest cheers from the Leeds supporters.

Bernd Leno looked shaky in Fulham's goal during the opening exchanges but in-form Brenden Aaronson failed to test the German when sent through, instead ballooning over from a rare opening before the break.

Leeds built some momentum on their return to the pitch and Dominic Calvert-Lewin brushed the side-netting after meeting a cross from Aaronson just before the hour mark.

James Justin then shot straight at Leno after making space inside the box while at the other end, Emile Smith Rowe failed to hit the target from 30 yards with Leeds goalkeeper Karl Darlow a long way off his line.

Leno did not have to move to catch Calvert-Lewin's shot from the edge of the box in the 80th minute but Leeds finally found the winner in injury time through Nmecha, who was brought on only 10 minutes earlier.

After 22 matches Leeds sit 16th with 25 points while Fulham are 10th with 31 points.

Leeds analysis: Hosts bounce back brilliantly
In recent weeks, Leeds have looked a far cry from the side that left Craven Cottage empty-handed after a late defeat when these teams met back in September.

Daniel Farke's decision to shift to a back three in late November has transformed their season as they went on a seven-game unbeaten run in the Premier League.

That momentum was briefly halted at St James' Park last week.

So the onus was firmly on Leeds to bounce back against an in-form Fulham side who were harbouring European ambitions this season. And bounce back they did.

After an underwhelming first half Leeds were on top of Fulham after the break, restricting the visitors to only three shots while attempting nine.

Noah Okafor did well to slip through Gudmundsson as they probed for a winner only for the Swede to fire over from close range, while Pascal Struijk had a header fly over from a corner.

Though they failed to pull further away from the drop zone, Leeds have now scored in nine league home fixtures in a row and are unbeaten in five matches at Elland Road.

And there were more positives to take from this victory for Farke, who witnessed his side keep a clean sheet on home soil for the first time since their first two home games of the season.

Fulham analysis: Cottagers fail to flatter
Fulham came into this fixture having matched the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea stride for stride this month during their unbeaten run in the league.

Heading into the weekend, only leaders Arsenal (16) had collected more points than the Cottagers (14) since their impressive run began on 13 December.

But they left much to be desired against Leeds, starting from their goalkeeper.

On day when his Leeds counterpart Lucas Perri was dropped in favour of Darlow, it was Leno who was uncharacteristically errant.

Only 20 minutes in the 33-year-old threw the ball straight at Ilia Gruev, who failed to place his shot past centre-back Joachim Andersen with the goal gaping, before the goalkeeper flapped at an Okafor cross.

The Cottagers finished the game with a single shot on target in 90 minutes and generated an xG of 0.39.

The biggest contribution from their in-form attacker Harry Wilson, who has 11 goal involvements this season, was perhaps a cynical foul on marauding Leeds wing-back Gabriel Gudmundsson early in the second half.

Silva decided for a defensive approach, throwing on centre-back Issa Diop after removing attackers Wilson and Raul Jimenez in a bid to protect the point.

But he will have questions to answer after his counterpart Farke was rewarded for his positive changes as Nmecha came off the bench to find the crucial goal late on.

What's next for these teams?
Leeds United will travel to Everton for their next Premier League match on Monday, 26 January (20:00 GMT).

Fulham, meanwhile, will welcome Brighton to Craven Cottage on Saturday, 24 January (15:00).



https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/live/ckgj7xygyl5t

[WhiteJC]

Post-Leeds Press Conference
Marco Silva had no complaints with the result against Leeds United, but was frustrated by the stoppage time goal that cost Fulham a point at Elland Road.

The Whites were not at our fluid best on Saturday afternoon but looked set to take a hard earned draw back to London, until Lukas Nmecha struck in stoppage time when we failed to get the ball away from danger.

"It was not a good performance at all," our Head Coach admitted. "We lost the game, we have to congratulate Leeds, and we'll move on.

"Analysing deeper, the performance first half was balanced really, not any team on the front foot. We had our moments, they had as well, [but] not clearcut chances for any side.

"The game showed big respect between the teams, and we didn't concede any big chances, apart from one moment with [Brenden] Aaronson when we lost a duel. Apart from that, nothing really special.

"And second half, we didn't perform at the level that the game demands really. As simple as that. They scored in the end, but they had chances to score earlier than that.

"Of course, we are disappointed with the moment that we conceded the goal, and we should be, because in that moment we should defend much better. Three/four duels that we lost in a row there, that we should not.

"We knew that the game is going to demand that from us, the way they go, the man-on-man situations, the crowd pushing them, and we knew that individual challenges are going to be in the game.

"And just the way they won the ball three/four times in the end of the game, just showed that in those moments we have to be more aggressive. The way we defended the box in that moment, we should have done better.

"But overall, second half, was not just that moment. They created before, they deserve the three points looking at the second half."

The defeat brings Fulham's impressive unbeaten run to an end, and while Silva knows that his side will not blow teams away every week, he was still disappointed with the lack of firepower on show at Elland Road.

"We cannot perform always incredibly well, like I would like to see and all of our fans, but normally we create more chances," he said. "I don't remember one clear chance from us second half – that shows that we didn't perform the way we should.

"Even on the ball, we were not aggressive enough. Not many times in the counter-attack, trying penetrations, crossing, all that stuff I don't remember really, and that just shows that we were not at our level in the second half, and because of that we lost the game, and we have to move on."



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2026/january/17/post-leeds-press-conference/

[WhiteJC]

Fulham beaten by late Leeds winner
A stoppage-time goal by Lukas Nmecha condemned Fulham to defeat at Elland Road.

Nmecha fired home from inside the box to end Fulham's six-game unbeaten run.

Raul Jimenez went close for the visitors with a first-half header.

Brendan Aaronson should have scored earlier for Leeds, firing over from close range in the first half.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin fired wide as the hosts applied the pressure – and they eventually made the breakthrough.
Fulham: Leno, Castagne, Andersen, Cuenca, Robinson, Berge, Lukic (Cairney 65), Wilson (Diop 88), Smith Rowe (King 77), Sessegnon (Kevin 65), Jimenez (Kusi-Asare 88).
Subs not used: Lecomte, Amissah, Reed, Traore.



https://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/fulham-beaten-by-late-leeds-winner

[WhiteJC]

Leeds 1-0 Fulham
Fulham were defeated by a stoppage time strike on a difficult afternoon in Leeds on Saturday.

In a contest not blessed with flowing football or high quality chances, the home side ended the stronger and capitalised when substitute Lukas Nmecha volleyed in, bringing our unbeaten run to a halt.

Marco Silva made just the two changes to the XI he named in the Chelsea win. Reverting to a back four, Ryan Sessegnon came in for Issa Diop to operate on the wing, whilst Saša Lukić replaced Tom Cairney who dropped to the bench, where he was joined by the returning Josh King.

Harry Wilson enjoyed playing the villain when he was – quite bizarrely – booed by the home fans as he went to take an eighth minute corner, and he almost had the last laugh when his outswinger found the run of Raúl Jiménez, but it was more shoulder than head of the Mexican that sent it past the post.

Leeds grew into the game without really testing Bernd Leno, and Brenden Aaronson will wonder how he didn't make the Fulham goalkeeper work when a ball over the top sent him clean through, instead wildly clearing the crossbar with his shot.

Emile Smith Rowe had worked hard down the left flank and carved open a chance with 10 minutes of the half to play, clipping a ball into the forward run of Lukić who brought it down well but could only head straight at Karl Darlow.

A late corner led to a couple of Sessegnon volleys from the edge of the box, but the first was blocked and the second looped over.

Leeds fans were celebrating on 58 minutes when they thought Dominic Calvert-Lewin had volleyed them in front, but the Premier League's Player of the Month for December had actually found the side-netting.

The hosts had been the greater threat since the restart, and Gabriel Gudmundsson was raging with himself for slicing high and wide when well placed in the box.

James Justin did find the target when he made space for a shot midway through the half, but fired straight at Leno.

At the other end, Smith Rowe tried to lob Darlow after the goalkeeper's clearance went awry, but sent a difficult effort from a good 35 yards wide, before Raúl volleyed over from a tight angle.

As we entered the final stages, Calvert-Lewin drew a routine save from Leno and Pascal Struijk and Nmecha headed over at corners, as United looked to turn one point into three in front of a demanding crowd.

And the home fans got what they craved as soon as we entered stoppage time, Nmecha converting clinically from Ethan Ampadu's cross, and the scoreline could have been worse had Leno not pulled off a world class save to deny the same man even deeper into time added on.
Leeds: Darlow, Justin, Rodon, Struijk, Bogle (Nmecha 81'), Aaronson (Bornauw 94'), Ampadu, Gruev (Tanaka 81'), Gudmundsson, Calvert-Lewin, Okafor (Gnonto 70')

Subs: Lucas Perri, Longstaff, Piroe, Nmecha, Tanaka, Bornauw, Byram, Gnonto, Buonanotte

Fulham FC: Leno, Castagne, Andersen, Cuenca, Robinson, Lukić (Cairney 66'), Berge, Sessegnon (Kevin 65'), Wilson (Diop 88'), Smith Rowe (King 77'), Jiménez (Kusi-Asare 88')

Subs: Reed, Cairney, Traoré, Kusi-Asare, Kevin, Lecomte, King, Diop, Amissah



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2026/january/17/leeds-1-0-fulham/

[WhiteJC]

Miserable Fulham beaten by late Nmecha goal
Leeds claim 1-0 win at Elland Road to end our unbeaten streak

All good things come to an end, and Lukas Nmecha's stoppage time winner did just that to Fulham's unbeaten run, heading late in the game to hand Leeds a 1-0 win at Elland Road. A tired, uninspired performance from Marco Silva's men meant Leeds were the team with the energy for much of the game, and their determination to win trumped what we could muster throughout the game. Today's disappointing result makes it clear that the team have been playing on fumes for a while, exploited to great effect by Leeds - the returning AFCON and injury contingent can't arrive soon enough, and on these events transfer activity would go a long way as well.

First Half
The 0-0 scoreline of this half betrayed the excitement and verve that was found across it. Elland Road is rarely an easy place to visit and with Leeds enjoying a strong spell of form the hosts fancied their chances against our tired, thinning troops. Certainly Calvert-Lewin had his eyes on the goal, lurking dangerously around Andersen early on and winning an early free-kick. Some good movement from the forward, the fulcrum of his side's front three, was important for their next chance; Ampadu, having cut out a pass from Smith Rowe earlier, took the ball through midfield and moved it to an open Okafor on the left. His shot, whilst accurate, lacked the speed to require a particularly difficult save from Leno.

These early attacks were a good start from Leeds, and a taster of the threat our hosts would offer. But starting a game in a 5-4-1 requires considerable energy to maintain territorial control, as the gravitational pull of the team is rooted in the defence-heavy formation. Fulham, subsequently, had a decent period in the first section of the half, working a few quick passes around the field. You could see the individual pieces of talent there from the forwards, but our play was a little disjointed. Sessegnon's return to the team saw him start in an unwieldy right-wing position, with Wilson tucked in to the centre and Smith Rowe pushed to the left. Our attacking radar was off, with several promising opportunities faltering with mistimed passes or tentative decision-making. The starkest of these came through Smith Rowe, fed the ball by a Jimenez flick-on and an intelligent Wilson pass to the centre. ESR had the space and time to take a shot but dithered, letting the Leeds centre-backs re-establish their defensive structures. By the time he returned the ball to Wilson, only a spitball of a shot could be thrown at goal, drifting harmlessly wide.

Our difficulties in attack suited Leeds immensely, creating a tetchy, scrappy atmosphere. They pressed well, refusing us time to build possession up slowly, and had the defensive bodies to step forward and pressure our attackers on the ball. Justin and Bogle did this effectively to shut down Smith Rowe on the left, and without Cairney on the pitch Lukic and Berge couldn't keep possession flowing smoothly around the pitch. Critically, taking the ball off us and keeping us uncomfortable created frayed nerves at the back. An Ampadu long throw forced everyone back into the box - whilst the initial ball in was cleared by Robinson, it led to a return ball into the box to find Calvert-Lewin, knocking it down for Okafor. Thankfully, his volley flew harmlessly over.

Aaronson had a strong half, latching onto loose balls won by the Leeds press to drill into our left. Robinson was caught out a few times - on one occasion, good tracking back from Jimenez and a timely intervention from Berge denied him an assist. Another saw a corner - again, the initial set-piece led to a mishap from Leno, rolling the ball straight out to Gruev, and sharp reactions from Robinson and Andersen prevented Leeds being gifted an early opener. Okafor's pace outweighed Castagne's - the right-back was humbled, beaten with the ball and for speed, and a cross that angled worryingly towards the goal produced a flap from Leno to clear. Most dangerously of all, a clumsy piece of aerial defending from Andersen let Bogle dink the ball over him to find Aaronson, surging through space in the middle. Once more, a poor finish spared Fulham's blushes, as the American couldn't weather the bounce and lifted his effort far too high to open the scoring.

These nerves did settle, as did Leeds' attacking energy - whilst Castagne and Lukic picked up sloppy bookings, the concentration of the centre-backs and Berge in the box improved and much of the danger was shuffled away by tight, clinical interventions. But our possession didn't have any rhythm to it and we failed to sustain any pressure at their end. A clever Wilson through ball found Lukic on a run in the box - he controlled the ball in the air but his header with the second touch couldn't beat Darlow. Our better moments came from the left, Smith Rowe using Wilson to try and breach Leeds' backline - another move, in which the Welshman won a corner against Justin, produced two volleys for Sessegnon in space, but they were unwieldy and couldn't beat the first man. Leeds produced the final chances of the half, a cross producing a Struijk header and an Okafor follow-up, but we survived, and the score remained equal.

Second Half
It was a difficult half for us - we've played a lot of football with the same core contingent of players for a solid month, and against a team comfortable in a physical, scratchy contest we needed much, much more than what we were seeing. Our opening moves were abated by Leeds - a Lukic cross was stopped from reaching Jimenez by Justin and caught well by Darlow, Robinson used his pace to beat Bogle but his cross to Lukic was intercepted by Gruev and whilst Wilson did well to win a free kick off Justin on the edge of the box, his effort swung the wrong way, sailing away from his teammates and the goal.

Then, Leeds pounced. Capitalising on a lull in our momentum, their backline advanced into our half, smothering our half in the Yorkshire rose. We couldn't breathe - every pass was made under duress, and with defenders snarling around the pitch in search of the ball our lightweight attack were shut out of the game. The few moments we did breakout were turned against us as well - Aaronson continued to drive the team forward, and a particularly dangerous break was cynically cut short by Wilson hauling him down, an ugly challenge that yielded a booking (those with a long memory may recall a similar challenge he was sent off for in a Euro 2020 game against Denmark).

The hosts were on top, but their finishing touch was eluding them. Robinson found himself targeted by Aaronson again, and crosses poured in along the right - a particularly nippy move saw the American guide a ball to Calvert Lewin in the box. The striker was smartly-placed for the delivery, able to reach it before Andersen, but he steered the effort narrowly wide of the goal beside the right post. It was the best chance of this period, and shook our defenders awake - excellent clearances from Andersen and Cuenca repelled the next crosses from Okafor and Aaronson. Yet the danger still lurked. A Calvert-Lewin run, smartly liberating himself from Andersen, was cut out by Castagne, darting across from the right to stop him. It freed up the left channel though, and as Bogle returned the ball to attack, Okafor held up the ball before feeding the overlapping run of Gudmundsson, unopposed and bursting into the box. He had the world at his feet, but he overplayed his hand, letting the ball run too far, and as the angle tightened he lifted the ball hideously into the stands, to the ire of his teammates.

Silva, realising our doldrums football was handing the initiative to Leeds, needed to make a move. It was the end for Lukic, hobbling and deeply ineffective in midfield, and Sessegnon, scarcely involved on the right flank. On came two key performers from the Middlesbrough game, as Cairney and Kevin arrived to revitalise our afternoon. It was timely, too - right after the change, a nice combination from Justin and Ampadu cut horizontally through the team and produced a close effort for Leno to smother. We needed possession, and Cairney was the man to provide it.

There could have been an instant response following the tinkering. Kevin's arrival allowed the frontline to take a more natural look, with the Brazilian on the left, Smith Rowe returning to the middle and Wilson assuming his preferred RM slot. Cairney occupying the space behind them increased the tempo of our play, and let the team resemble our usual positive shapes. Smith Rowe almost did the spectacular, in the right position to latch onto a poorly-executed headed-clearance from Darlow, but he couldn't take advantage of the keeper's venture beyond the box and smacked his effort off target. Moments later, a move worked by Cairney saw Jimenez collect the ball from a Wilson dink onto the right, but as he moved away from Gudmundsson his volley sailed away from the target.

Farke didn't take long to make a change of his own, as Gnonto swapped for Okafor on the 70 minute mark. Whilst the Swiss forward had been decent, his replacement turbo-charged the speed of the attack, and gave our defence another set of headaches to contend with. Castagne, already struggling to handle things on the right, had to raise his game further to manage the Italian - his close-quarters defending meant our backline were dragged into a variety of contortions, giving Leeds a number of options in their pursuit for an opener. It brought Calvert-Lewin into the game, producing chances and set-pieces, one of which needed a firm stop from Leno.

As the game entered the closing stages, we needed to get Cairney back on the ball and consolidate possession for a while. But our performance on the ball was insipid, and key moments were falling away from us. Robinson had a horrible session, receiving the ball from Cairney on the edge of the box but turning and scuffing his own pass straight to Darlow. Given how loose he was in defence, such wastefulness was being pounced upon by Leeds, who had introduced Tanaka and Nmecha for Bogle and Gruev to turn the attacking lens on us further. Conversely, our changes were increasingly negative - Smith Rowe had to depart for King, but on his return to injury he looked peripheral, and taking off the creators Wilson and Jimenez for Diop and Kusi Asare signalled a reliance on physical stature to see out the closing stages. We were buckling, and the hosts knew it. Justin, now free to dominate the right-wing, bossed Robinson into submission, putting numerous balls into the box and forcing a series of corners that he had the privilege of taking. Headers from Struijk and Nmecha, won amongst a sea of defenders, gave us scares - whilst the former flew over the bar, the latter was flicked on at the near post and marginally missed the top-left corner of the goal.

The initiative was theirs though, and just as in the first half we couldn't escape our own final third - leading to the inevitable. Aaronson, driving his team forward once again, produced a scrappy couple of tackles from Cairney, and then Robinson on his teammate Gnonto after Ampadu had fed the ball forward. The captain was not finished though, and continued his movement forward into the space Robinson had left behind - it was spotted by Tanaka, lifting the ball into the channel for Ampadu to collect. Cuenca had realised the danger but it didn't matter - Ampadu had crossed the ball into the box, over the entire team, and Nmecha on the slide volleyed ahead of Castagne to guide the ball to Leno's left, giving Leeds the winner they coveted. We were stunned, so much so that we almost conceded straight afterwards - traipsing forward, a smart through ball from Aaronson set Nmecha off again, driving into space through our half to reach the left of our box. A terrific hand from Leno denied them a second. It didn't matter though - the most we could muster in response was a yellow card for Kusi-Asare, clumsily bundling Struijk over, before the defender cleared Cairney's final cross to secure the win for the hosts.

A Farke-cry from relegation
It makes sense to start with Leeds today, because Fulham were very much the secondary side in this match. Farke has worked the side into excellent shape - I was impressed by elements of their game in September, when they were unfortunate to lose 1-0 in the reverse fixture, but today they were a more complete force, putting a solid display together across the pitch to cement themselves as the stronger team and win the three points.

Back fives are often negative and tedious, but today it worked wonderfully. James Justin is a really useful player to have - he was comfortable as a centre-back or a right back, he stepped forward to bolster attacking situations, his defensive acumen let him win numerous critical battles against Smith Rowe and later Kevin, and his deliveries from crosses or set-pieces sustained pressure on us across the whole match. A fantastic performance, one that brought the best out of Bogle in his vicinity, and one that perhaps highlights how much we miss Tete when our own right-back is unable to play. Rodon and Struijk had good matches too, and made strong interceptions to prevent Darlow being placed at risk of facing a direct shot. Gudmundsson was perhaps the only defender that really looked vulnerable, but unfortunately Sess was lost at sea and Wilson didn't have the service to exploit this.

Ampadu in midfield was terrific again, working tirelessly to keep Leeds moving forward (again, a rather ugly comparison to our personnel here can be made) - his work across the match kept Leeds going, and directly led to their goal. Gruev was solid too, and played an important role in sustaining Leeds' pressure around the park. This was a good platform for Aaronson to spring forward from midfield, basically operating as a RW for much of the match, and meant a steady flow of balls could be fed to him and Okafor/Gnonto throughout the game. But for wasteful finishing, they'd have led early into the first half. Calvert-Lewin also didn't score, but he looks a fresh face again under Farke, hungry for action and goals with every step he takes, and when you can bring on someone like Nmecha, a versatile, confident forward in any position around the attack, the work the team does to begin the game can compound at the end. We were fortunate to have kept parity for much of the game - Nmecha proved one dice roll too many. It leaves them well-placed to avoid the ignominy of a yo-yo back down to the Championship, something that can never be taken for granted.

Fulham's worst match so far?
Onto Fulham then. It was painful viewing for much of the game - Leeds made us look like a Championship side scraping for survival, right down to the fact we switched to a back five to try and scrape towards a point by the end of the match. It's no secret that the team are exhausted - even more injuries and players limping off will surely infuriate the coaching staff at the club - but it was still a distinctly average performance at this stage of the season, and one that will be punished by effectively any side in the division in 2026.

It really didn't help that several players had their worst game for us in months. Sess was anonymous at RW and couldn't get involved in the attacks, meaning our play was concentrated on the left for an entire half, something easy to stop when two full-backs are effectively stationed to stop any threat arriving down the left. On said wing, Robinson had an appalling afternoon, losing track of his wing defensively and seeing his passing radar disintegrate entirely by the end of the game. Nmecha's goal came from what must have been the fifteenth cross to penetrate the box from his side. Lukic was perhaps carrying an injury, and is one of many in need of a rest, but once again couldn't lift the energy of the team, earnt yet another booking caused by being behind the pace of the game, and was outclassed by Ampadu.

The rest weren't great either, if encumbered by the position changes - Smith Rowe struggled on the wing, Wilson didn't enjoy being more central as he couldn't use his left foot to bend the ball as much and Jimenez puffed around and had far too many failed link-ups. Kevin, unfortunately, didn't enjoy the double right-back situation Leeds offered and was bullied a little - Cairney, whilst decent on the ball, walked into a cauldron, and for all his pretty passes only has a booking to show for his efforts. There's some praise to offer for Berge, who whilst just as negative on the ball did seem attuned to the danger Calvert Lewin proffered in the box, and the Cuenca-Andersen partnership was at least good enough to divert some of the efforts away from Leno, but it's a meagre list of ticks - we were poor today, and Leeds justifably won.

No points then, and a first loss of the new year. It was always going to arrive at some point, and you can't begrudge a team still hovering around the relegation zone a performance like Leeds gave today, but it still stings seeing the run end, particularly when it comes in the form of an late winner for a newly-promoted side. There's an opportunity though, if the club are willing to take it, to use this as the springboard for action. We've got a boost coming in the return of Bassey, Iwobi and Chukwueze from AFCON, with more waiting to leave the injury list around the club. Combined with a transfer or two, there's no reason this setback can't be consigned to history, and our good form continue long into the month.



https://www.fulhamish.co.uk/p/miserable-fulham-beaten-by-late-nmecha

[WhiteJC]

'We remember how they celebrated against us...' – Leeds United gem takes brutal swipe at Fulham
Leeds United made it back-to-back wins with a dramatic 91st-minute winner from Lukas Nmecha, earning the Whites all three points at Elland Road.

Despite Daniel Farke's side being on an impressive run in the past few weeks, wins have still been somewhat hard to come by for United, who only won one of their last seven Premier League outings before their clash with Fulham.

The win against Fulham was made all the more important as it effectively cancelled out the unexpected win West Ham picked up against Tottenham to ensure the gap between Leeds and the drop zone stays at eight points.

However, there was more on the line today than just three points for one Leeds player in particular, who made sure that he particularly savoured the celebrations at full-time.

Ethan Ampadu takes brutal swipe at Fulham after narrow victory
Ampadu, 25, delivered another exceptional performance in the centre of the park against Fulham to nobody's surprise.

However, the midfielder made a shocking revelation at full-time with his post-match interview on Leeds' official YouTube channel, with Ampadu claiming the win was made all the more satisfying after the way the Fulham players reacted to winning the reverse fixture at Craven Cottage.

"The way in the reverse fixture, the way we lost at the end and the way they celebrated, rightly so, on the day they won the game, but we took that," Ampadu said.

"We felt a bit disheartened by that, we thought that game over there (at Craven Cottage) was maybe a little bit similar to today, today we might have performed a little bit better and put some more pressure on, but we remember how they celebrated in front of us last game,

"Not to say you always want to take a little bit of revenge because football can maybe come round and bite us, but on a personal level for us, we wanted to make sure we won this game today."

After hearing this from their captain, Leeds fans will also likely savour that last-minute winner from Nmecha just that little bit more now.



https://www.theleedspress.com/we-remember-how-they-celebrated-against-us-leeds-united-gem-takes-brutal-swipe-at-fulham-48454/

[Hatch007]

Results

Saturday 17/01
Man Utd	2-0	Man City
Chelsea	2-0	Brentford
Leeds	2-0	Fulham
Liverpool	1-1	Burnley
Sunderland	2-1	Palace
Spurs	1-2	West Ham
Forest	0-0	Arsenal

CAF Africa Cup of Nations (3rd place final)

Saturday 17/01
Egypt	0-0	Nigeria

Nigeria win 4-2 on pens

Who scored Leeds' 2nd? 🤔👀

[WhiteJC]

Results

Saturday 17/01
Man Utd	2-0	Man City
Chelsea	2-0	Brentford
Leeds	2-0	Fulham
Liverpool	1-1	Burnley
Sunderland	2-1	Palace
Spurs	1-2	West Ham
Forest	0-0	Arsenal

CAF Africa Cup of Nations (3rd place final)

Saturday 17/01
Egypt	0-0	Nigeria

Nigeria win 4-2 on pens

Who scored Leeds' 2nd? 🤔👀

ha ha - specsavers 

[Hatch007]

It happens to the best of us, John 😉🤣